UPDATE: North and South Korea Commit to Denuclearization, End of War, and Unity

In a historic summit on the border, the leaders of North and South Korea met for peace talks and announced their commitment to total denuclearization, the end of the 68-year Korean war, and – in the words of Kim Jong Un – reunification.

The summit was resplendent with symbolism. For the first time in history, a North Korean leader crossed the military demarcation line and set foot into South Korean territory. Immediately after stepping over the official border, Kim then invited South Korean president Moon Jae-in to step over into his own country – which they did, hand-in-hand.

Journalists and spectators present for the event could be heard gasping and cheering in surprise over the landmark gesture. According to CNN, the two countries had spent weeks planning the day’s proceedings down to the second – but Moon’s invitation into North Korea was totally unexpected.

After enjoying each other’s company for over an hour, the leaders conducted a symbolic tree-planting ceremony and proceeded to sign the Panmunjom Declaration for Peace, Prosperity and Unification on the Korean Peninsula.

While the agreement kept the deadlines to a minimum, it commits the leaders to denuclearization and the ending of the Korean conflict. Kim also told the media that Korea “will be reunited as one country.”

At the end of the Korean war in 1954, South and North Korean officials signed a truce, and though it put an end to the violence between Pyeongchang and Seoul, they never actually agreed to sign a peace treaty.

The countries came closing to ending the war in 2007 during the “Sunshine Policy” peace talks, but it was not to be. In addition to North Korea resisting international inspections of their nuclear facilities, South Korea elected a new president in 2008 who abandoned the negotiations.

1 COMMENT

This is an historic moment for the whole world. Hopefully North Korea and South Korea are now in a state of peace with each other. This is incredibly good news for Donald Trump as well. Hopefully Mr. Trump will benefit from this new spirit of optimism from North Korea and South Korea. As I live in a western country I feel safer with this message of peace by North Korea and South Korea.